


Meeting Him in a Coffee Shop

by SARdONic7



Category: Joe Sugg - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Coffee Shops, England (Country), Feels, Joe Sugg - Freeform, Joe sugg x reader - Freeform, London, Meet-Cute, joe sugg x you, joe sugg/reader - Freeform, joe sugg/you - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:47:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 11,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26068216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SARdONic7/pseuds/SARdONic7
Summary: I smile, "Very well." I grab all the gross napkins to throw out. After throwing them out along with my now empty cup, I go over to him, "Ready to go, coffee-boy?"He laughs at my silly nickname for him, "Yeah, let's go, coffee-spiller! Onwards!" he yells running out the door.Who knew that a slightly messy encounter in a coffee shop would lead to something big and beautiful?
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

I was sad because it was my last full day in London before I had to head back to my little hometown in America. I decided to spend my final day here just walking around, enjoying the town, and visiting all the little stores I promised myself I would see before leaving. After a bit of walking, I come across a cute little cafe that seemed empty so I decided to check it out. The walls were absolutely beautiful, covered in so many different artworks. I was so busy looking at them that I didn't even hear the barista ask if I was ready to order.

Finally taken out of my trance I order a simple hazelnut coffee and a chocolate twist. I pay and begin to eat my twist while I wait for the coffee to be prepared. The twist was so gooey that I needed to grab a napkin to prevent it from falling and getting all over my clothes. My drink is finally completed so I grab it and decide to sit outside at one of the tables because it was such a beautiful day. As I walk out I continue to admire all the art on the wall, but I hit something that causes the drink and twist that was in my hand to fall. I look up and realize that it was a man that I have hit and my entire drink is spilled on him and what remains of my twist is currently stuck to his white shirt. I see that there is a dark brown stain already forming on his shirt and dripping onto his Vans, which also happen to be white.

"I'm so sorry-" I rush to get napkins to help him clean up.

"And this is why I never wear white," he chuckles to himself, grabbing the napkins I offer. He attempts to pat and absorb some of the coffee from his slowly darkening shirt. I offer to buy him a new shirt, feeling extremely guilty for ruining his current one.

"No, don't worry about it. I bumped into you, it's completely fine," he argues in an accent that I hadn't heard in the city yet.

"Yeah, but it's my drink and twist that you are currently sporting, ever so stylishly, on your shirt," I counter.

He gingerly lifts the twist off his shirt and takes a bit, remarking on how tasty it is before it somehow slips from his fingers and onto his shoe.

I look up at him and try to suppress my laughter, but he begins to snicker as well. He continues to blot at his shirt, only seeming to make it worse.

I haven't really noticed much about him besides his now ruined shirt, so I take this time to examine the rest of him, namely his face. I see that he has bright blue irises, that seem to speak louder than his words. His chiseled facial features contrast the messy quiffed up look of his chocolate hair. The combination of his looks makes me weak in the knees as I continue to memorize his face, but I shake my thoughts lose realizing that forming a crush the day before I was supposed to be leaving isn't the best idea.

"Come on, let me buy you a shirt! It's the least I can do considering I practically ruined this one. I'll even let you pick out the store!" I pause, realizing that my bank account will probably not agree with me, "So long as it's not some super high-end store."

"Fine," he concedes, smirking. "But, you have to let me buy you another drink and treat, cause I did make you lose the one you already had.

I smile, "Very well." I grab all the gross napkins to throw out. After throwing them out along with you now empty cup, I go over to him, "Ready to go, coffee-boy?"

He laughs at my silly nickname for him, "Yeah, let's go, coffee-spiller! Onwards!" he yells running out the door.

I laugh, thanking the worker who was currently moping the mess we had made, before chasing after him.


	2. Chapter 2

He's standing at the end of the sidewalk, looking back and waiting for me to catch up.

"Alrighty, where to first?" I ask, searching the streets for something relatively cheap. After I spent an extra week longer than expected on my "European Tour" my bank account was definitely suffering.

His blue eyes pierce into mine, "Well, there's this really great place called 'East End,' they have some really great things and decently priced too."

I smile, thankful that he didn't decide to go to Gucci or someplace similar.

"It's a bit of a walk from where we are though, hope you don't mind." He steps onto the street as the cars have stopped because of the red light. I mirror his steps as I walk alongside him.

"It's totally okay. I've been walking all over London and it's absolutely beautiful!"

"Wait, you're from America, right?"

"How'd ya guess?" I laugh, "Was it the American flag I had in my hair?"

"No, it was the smell of burgers and the football in your hand. Didn't even see the flag, to be frank." He laughs, causing his whole body to shake.

"Wait, are you from London? Cause I haven't heard your accent in the city."

"No, actually I'm from Wiltshire. It's just two hours West of London."

"Is that near Bristol?"

"Yeah, how do you know Bristol?" His body moves closer to mine as he steps out of the way for the people who are walking along the sidewalk opposite to us.

"Uh, I was just traveling around so..." I trail off, losing my train of thought as my heart beats faster and my eyes widen in response to his close proximity. I tell myself to stop getting so flustered. He was doing it to be polite and probably doesn't even have any feelings for me.

He seems genuinely intrigued, "Oh, traveling? Where else have you been?"

I shake my head, attempting to clear my head and recollect my thoughts. "I was traveling around Europe actually. Not really backpacking cause I had two suitcases plus a backpack, but I still call it backpacking."

We spent the rest of the walk to the store talking about my travels all around Europe. He tells me about the time he took a road trip across Europe with his close friend.

For some reason, I feel a twang of jealousy towards the friend that was able to spend extended periods of time with him, visiting a lot of really cool places. I remind myself that I had been to many of the places he went to as well, alone, but I still went to these places. I also tell him that I had extended my trip an extra week because I loved England too much that I wanted to spend more time exploring.

"Well, what can I say, England is a great country," he puts on an accent that I can't quite place, but find hilarious. "Have you been to Brighton?"

"Oh, yes! It's absolutely gorgeous there! The beaches are amazing and I've been to Spain so I've seen some great beaches, but honestly, if the opportunity arose, I would be more than happy to move to Brighton."

"No way, my sister lives there!"

I gently shove his arm, as if angry, "Well you should have told me that! I would have gone and visited her."

"Well you didn't tell me that you were going to Brighton!" he pushes me back with the same amount of force.

I, of course, lose my balance and almost fall backward onto the concrete sidewalk but strong arms catch me before I do and make a fool of myself.

"Blimey, I know I'm strong, but I didn't think I used that much force on you."

"As you can tell, balance is not my best friend," I laugh, reluctantly freeing myself from his arms. I push him back gently as payback for almost making me fall and also to try to push the butterflies in my stomach away. "And don't get it in your head that you're stronger than me. I could definitely beat you in an arm-wrestling battle!"

He puts his arm on my shoulders, pulling me closer, "Sure you can beat me, keep on believing that."

Due to my short height, my head fits very nicely into the crook of his arm. I feel safe in his arms so I don't pull away as we continue walking.

We spent the rest of the walk talking about each other's childhood. Even once we are at the store, the stream of conversation does not end as we talk about questionable clothing choices that we made in high school or secondary school as he calls it.

"Thank you." I grab the bag from the sweet old lady at the cash register as I put my wallet into my purse.

"Here, let me take it." He attempts to grab the bag from my hands, but my grip only tightens.

"Hey, some of my clothes are in here as well, I can hold the bag."

"I know," he smirks, "But I was just trying to be a gentleman."

My eyes dart between his, not believing that he was telling the truth. I barely met this guy and he's already being so sweet to me. His eyes are maintaining my gaze so I reluctantly loosen my grip so that he could take the bag.

"Okay, fine. Thank you."

"Now, m'lady," he extends his other arm to me. He raises a bushy eyebrow in confusion when I stop and look at him, confused as well. "You're supposed to put your arm in mine," he stage-whispers to me.

"Oh, sorry," I giggle, wrapping my arm around his, trying to ignore the sparks flying between where our arms touch and the butterflies that seemed to have doubled in size in my stomach.

"Let's go to Arches Cafe, onwards!" He pushes the door open with his leg and skips outside.

I skip in line with him because our arms were interlaced and I did not want to be dragged behind because I knew that if I did not keep up he would definitely have no problem doing so.

We laugh the whole time until we finally stop at an intersection that we cannot cross yet.

"So, is Arches Cafe any good?" I ask, letting his arm go so that I could take a better look at his face as I talk to him.

"It's actually really good. My mates and I come here for breakfast often. I know I said I would get you a coffee, but would you possibly also like to have lunch with me as well?" His face shows vulnerability as he asks, ready for rejection but seemingly holding on to a bit of hope.

How much would one lunch hurt I ask myself?

"I would love to!" I smile and excitedly tell him.

"Well then, shall we?" He extends his arm again and this time I don't hesitate, wrapping both my arms around his arm this time. Not only have the butterflies grown this time, but it seems that the sparks have decided to turn into electric shocks. I still choose to ignore them and continue to walk alongside him to the cafe.


	3. Chapter 3

Once inside the cafe, I see of all the beautiful artwork hanging on every inch, or rather centimeter, of the walls. I take note of the intricate brush strokes and the colors that seem to blend together beautifully with the wall behind it but also the other paintings next to it.

"Do you like art?" he asks, gently placing his hand on the small of my back.

Even though it is only one hand that is touching you, I feel the warmth passing all through my body through the jacket.

"Yeah," I breathe out, unable to articulate anything else.

His blue eyes show confusion at the sudden shift from the constant flow of conversation to one-worded answers.

I send him a small smile, hoping to appease him and calm the stampede in my stomach that doesn't seem to ever stop. "So, what's the best thing on the menu?"

As I step towards the counter looking up at the menu his hand falls off my back, but I try to ignore it.

"Well, the Brunch Platter is a crowd favorite," the man behind the counter says.

I wasn't expecting him to answer the question, but am glad that he was able to interject and ease the awkwardness that was slowly growing between us. I look back to where he was standing and raise my eyebrows, "Well, what do you recommend?"

He takes this as his cue to join you in front of the teller. "Yeah, I normally go for the Brunch Platter when I'm here as well. And if I'm feeling healthy I also try to get a bowl of fruit."

"Sounds good," I turn away from him to look back at the teller, "Yeah, I'll have a Brunch Platter, a bowl of fruit, and a bowl of oatmeal. Oh, and an Earl Grey Tea."

I'll have the same thing, except instead of oatmeal," he turns to look at me, "Porridge, cause that's what we eat here in England."

I roll my eyes at his comment, but happy because we have returned to our playful banter.

The tell asks for his drink order, "A black coffee please." He takes his wallet out to pay.

I grab his arm, trying to stop him. "Wait, let me get my wallet."

"Absolutely not!" he wrestles his arm free and hands his card over, "I said I would treat you to lunch, so I'm paying!"

I roll my eyes again at his childish behavior. "Fine thank you," I send him a shy smile.

"How 'bout this, you pay for the next time we eat out?"

"Hold on now, this date isn't even over and you're already planning the next one? Cocky much, are we?"

He laughs, "What can I say, I'm pretty amazing! And this date is going to be the best one you've ever been on!"

My eyes widen when I realize what we had both just said.

I hurry to fix the problem, "Wait, this isn't like an actual date. Just like two friends, hanging out, with mutual interest. Nothing else." I pause, walking towards the table so that I don't have to look him in the eye when I have to say the next part, "Besides, I'm leaving tomorrow. It would be pointless to start something that can't be continued."

He gingerly takes the seat in front of me. "Oh," his voice comes out quietly as if saying it any louder might cause me to leave earlier.

"Yeah," I'm unsure of what else to say.

Thankfully our food comes to break the awkward silence. But even as we start eating, it remains mostly quiet except for the occasional remarks of the tastiness of the food.


	4. Chapter 4

The silence was really starting to get to me, especially in contrast to the way that we were talking with each other earlier about every topic under the sun.

"I didn't mean for that remark to dampen our moods. I was just pointing out that we shouldn't get too attached." I take a deep breath, preparing myself to continue. "Look, I had- I'm having a great time hanging out with you. I don't think I've ever met someone that I've clicked with so easily and so quickly for that matter. I'm not even sure what this is and honestly, I don't want it to end, but we have to get back to reality. I have to go back home tomorrow. I have my life there and you have yours here. All that I'm trying to say is that-"

"I know, I mean, I understand. I've more than enjoyed our time together. It's been the best two hours of my life and I don't want it to end either. But you're right, we have separate lives that we have to get back to. You say that we shouldn't get too attached, but I fear it's too late. I really enjoyed spending time with you, I really like laughing with you, I really like joking around, I really like talking to you about anything and nothing. I really like you." He stops, peering into my eyes with his warm blue ones, seemingly searching for something.

I want to say those words back to him, but fear it will only make things worse. I know that what I will have to say will not make him happy, but what comes out of my mouth next still makes him smile, "Should we get ice cream? You know as one last thing?"

He nods his head while smiling, "Sure, we can take an Uber to a great ice cream shop I know. It's near the London Eye. Have you been?"

I get up from my seat to throw away the trash from my delicious meal that I wish I could have enjoyed more. "No, not yet."

He follows close behind me, "Really, why? I thought you went all over London?"

"I did, I just didn't want to go to the London Eye," I say matter-of-factly, trying to hide my true emotions.

His bushy eyebrows furrow in confusion, "Heights?"

"Actually no," I feel my cheeks heating up. "I just had some requirements I need to be fulfilled before I could get on," I say, each word getting quieter than the last.

"And those are?" he prods.

I step out of the cafe in attempts to end the conversation when he calls me back, "Don't think you're getting away so easily, we have the entire car ride there."

I let out a sigh of defeat as I walk back towards him, remembering our plans to get an Uber. I, however, don't give in that easily and tell him my true reasons. "Why are you so intent on finding out?" I cross my arms defiantly like a toddler.

"Well why are you so intent on keeping it a secret?" he counters, copying my stance.

I huff and cross my arms tighter, turning my back to him and stomping, acting even more childish.

He grabs my arm gently to turn me around to face him. "I just want to make sure that all your requirements are met. Please?" He gives me a small smile, but it's the combination of his pleading eyes, searing touch, and the ever-present butterflies in my stomach that cause my front to dissolve.

"Well, I just wanted it to be a beautiful day like today, clear, be mostly sober," I mumble the rest, "Go with someone special."

I try to quickly change the subject to hide my confession, "So, how far away is the Uber?"

He must have heard me though because he wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer. "I'm glad all of your requirements were met then." He takes his phone out of his pocket, "And the Uber should be here any minute now, it looks like he's just turning onto the street."

He kisses me softly on the head which causes an explosion of sparks to fly down through my body, causing the butterflies to erupt even more violently. However, mixed in with the excitement, I feel safe and a sense of comfort wrapped in his arms with my head pressed against his chest. His lips linger on the top of my head as he holds me tighter and it takes all of my willpower and more not to tilt my head up and meet his lips with my own.

After a short Uber ride filled with our usual conversation about safe topics, we finally reach our destination. We continue to converse as we leave the Uber and walk up to a quaint ice-cream shop, hidden among larger buildings. It's not until a little bell signals our entrance to the shop that we finally stop talking and my nose is immediately filled with the cold smells of my favorite sugar sweetness.

"'Ello, Marge?" he calls out, stepping towards the counter.

A plump, older lady wobbles out from the back and attacks him with hugs and kisses, "Why if it ain't my favorite chap! How are ya, sweetums? It's been too long. Is your sister-" she pauses, finally noticing me and taking time to look me up and down. "Well I'll be damned, I'd never thought I'd live to see the day. Is this what I think it is ma boy?"

I feel my cheeks heating up again as I wonder what I must be doing to embarrass myself. I catch his eyes quickly and he is beaming. She wobbles towards me, grasping my hands in her warm calloused ones. Her eyes have the same sparkle that his eyes do and it's not until I hear him speak up that I look away.

He begins walking towards us, wrapping his long arms around her round frame. "Marge, this is my- " he pauses, looking me straight in my eye, "This is my girlfriend," he says without looking away.

"Well, course she's your girlfriend," she smiles, walking away from us.

It's at this moment that he steps closer to me, his eyes holding me in a trance.

She continues, walking behind the counter, "I could hear ya talking and laughing when ya walked in here, even with my hearing aid turned off. Although, I must ask, where did ya find such a pretty lassie to deal with someone like yourself?"

"She dropped her drink on me."

"Only cause you bumped into me first."

We are still holding each other's gaze, slowly moving closer and closer. He grabs my hands the same way Marge did earlier, but his have a familiar warmth to them and it causes my heart to flutter out of my chest, but the butterflies seem to have settled down.

"Is that alright?" he asks, and I know that he is talking about his earlier comment about me being his girlfriend.

I don't know what to say in response to that, much less think about it. My heart takes over the controls of my head and causes it to nod in agreement, but I know that deep down it's a dumb decision. I'm leaving tomorrow, yet here I am being introduced as the girlfriend of a man that I had just met less than 4 hours ago. My eyes dart between his blue ones, searching for a hint of it being a practical joke or prank, but all I am met with is the same warmth that is coursing through my body from his hands and something else that I don't want to admit is real.

"Well, should I get you the usual, lad?" Marge's voice draws us out of our trance.

He finally breaks all contact, walking towards the counter. "That's fine. And can you get her one of your specials?" He looks back at me, "In a cup?" he asks.

I finally get my voice and thoughts back in order, "Yes, please." We haven't been hanging out for long, yet he already knows my ice cream order.

I wonder if it is alright that he called me his girlfriend? My heart wants to accept it, but my brain knows better than that.


	5. Chapter 5

We get our ice cream and begin the short walk to the London Eye. Neither of us is talking as I am deep in thought, still wondering about his earlier comment about me being his girlfriend. I hesitate, wondering if I possibly could see myself dating this guy. Sure all the movies and stories make long-distance relationships seem so glamorous and fun, but I know that it's not real life. There would be no way that we could even continue a friendship, let alone anything romantic, with the time difference and a whole ocean between us. I know that if anything happened, it would have to end almost as quickly as it started. Sure, we could have some fun, talk, eat food, fall in love or whatever, but then I'd be boarding a plane back to the States and he'd still be here, in London.

"Well, here we are!"

I look up from my thoughts and don't even notice the London Eye looming overhead. All I see if soft blue eyes with a piercing gaze, messily perfect brown hair being tousled by the wind, ears that stick out a little too far, a prominent jawline, moles gently scattered around his face that are difficult to see unless you're up close, lips.

Pink lips.

Plump lips.

Perfect lips.

Kissable.

And that's exactly what I do. Dropping the ice cream I place both of my hands on his face and bring it to mine.

When our lips meet, the butterflies in my stomach erupt like an explosion, the electricity ignites a fire that courses through my entire being, lifting me up and out of my body. My feet, however, stay planted on the ground, as I feel safe and secure as he wraps his arms around me, holding onto me, seemingly never letting me go.

His lips mold perfectly in mine and our bodies melt together.

It's like two puzzle pieces finally joining after hours of searching. It's like the shore fits so perfectly with the sea. It's like milk blends together smoothly with coffee.

It's like we were meant to be. It's like fate brought us together. It's like I was supposed to meet him in a coffee shop.

His lips meet mine with the same passion and heat and it almost feels like too much but I don't want to pull away. However, normal bodily functions get in the way and we separate heaving for air.

"I- Um," I have no words because the only thing that is running through my mind is the thought of kissing him again.

"Wow," he whispers, also at a loss for words.

We continue to stare into each other's eyes; bodies pressed closed and arms holding on to each other for dear life. I feel the warmth of his breath hitting my face and smell the sweet vanilla on it.

I immediately remember my ice cream and frantically pull away. "My ice cream!" I yell, look around and I finally spot it on the floor. Thankfully it is sitting upright in its cup, nothing damaged except for the spoon that is lying on the floor nearby.

"That is the second thing that you made me drop today!" I gently hit him on the chest while I bend down to pick up my ice cream. I cradle it and softly apologize for letting a boy get in between me and my true love.

"Ow," he says, rubbing the spot where I hit him. "You didn't have to kiss me, ya know."

I feel the blood rushing to my face and the butterflies rushing to their place in my stomach. I push it all to the side though and counter, "Well, would you have liked me not to kiss you?" I raise an eyebrow and purse my lips.

He looks like the flustered one now as I see his neck slowly starting to turn red. I grab the spoon from his cup and begin walking towards the entrance of the London Eye, which I finally realized.

I notice that he is not following me so I yell back over my shoulder, "Come on now, boyfriend." I add in the last part to high the fact that I am beyond nervous and scared to talk about any conversations relating to that topic.


	6. Chapter 6

After arguing once again about who gets to pay for the tickets, we finally make our way over to the enclosed glass case. I look excitedly outside the window, waiting for the ride to start so that I could get to see all of London from above. I continue to eat my ice cream, avoiding eye contact and any communication with him because I know that if I do the conversation that we will be forced to have is not something I am looking forward to.

"Whoa, look over there!"

"What is it?" I say excitedly, placing my ice cream down and rushing towards him on the other side of the glass, ready to take a picture.

"It's Buckingham Palace!" he points to a large building surrounded by trees.

I immediately recognize it from my many Google searches ad quickly take a picture before trying to go back to my spot on the opposite end. However, he stops me by gently placing his hand on my arm. I feel the familiar warmth spread through my arms and the rest of my body, but try to ignore it while turning to face him.

"I think we should talk," he hesitates.

"What is there to talk about? I have my ice cream, plus we just saw Buckingham Palace, a pretty successful ride if you ask me. Besides, we're almost-"

I am cut short though when the ride comes to an abrupt halt.

"What- What is going on? Is this supposed to happen?"

"I have no idea," he walks over to the railing and looks down towards the ground. I walk over to join him and notice the engineer at the bottom who seems to be struggling with the levers and buttons that are beyond my knowledge.

"What the bloody hell is he doing?" he runs his hand through his hair, pulling at the roots. I notice his movement and feel my heart flutter, but look away quickly.

"Are we seriously stuck here? What are we even supposed to-" I get cut off once again by a deep voice coming through the overhead speakers.

**We are sorry for the stop. There appear to be technical difficulties that have caused the ride to stop. We assure everyone that they are completely safe, and of course your safety is our utmost concern. We assure you that we will have this fixed within the next half hour. Everyone will be receiving a refund as an apology. We are truly sorry.**

"At least you don't have to feel guilty about me paying anymore, I'll be getting my money back," he says, laughing.

I sense that he is trying to lighten the mood so I try to laugh as well, but I can't even seem to muster up a smile as I think about being stuck in an enclosed glass case, high above the ground, with him. I try to think positively by telling myself that I get to spend more time with him, but I know that he will want to talk about what happened earlier. Sure enough, he walks over to where I am sitting with a serious look on his face.

"So, um about what happened earlier..."

I open my mouth, ready to spew off a list of excuses as to why we shouldn't talk about it, but he cuts me off again.

"Listen, if we're gonna be up here for a while, we might as well discuss it. And don't tell me there's nothing to talk about, there's plenty."

I sigh, "Well for starters," I consider lying or talking about something mundane, but his eyes sear so deep into my soul that I don't want to lie anymore.

I take a deep breath, softening my voice, "I was just taken aback that you called me your girlfriend, that's all really. I mean, I'm leaving tomorrow and we did say that we wouldn't get too attached."

"You're right, and we're not too attached. We get off this thing, you go back to your hotel and leave for America the next morning, while I go back to my flat and stay here. Alone."

" _'Not too attached?'_ You told her that I was your girlfriend! That clearly sounds like attachment to me. Besides who was she anyway?"

"She's an old family friend, kinda like my nan. She's just super concerned about me, and you saw how she was when she was you. She already thought we were a thing. I just didn't want to break her heart."

"And you don't think to tell her that I live in America won't?"

"I don't know, but she was so happy and-"

"Yeah, but what if she tells your actual family. And then come Christmas or something you're expected to bring your girlfriend, but oops, she's in America!"

"I could fly you out?"

"WHAT?!"

"Ok listen, sure part of the reason I told her that you were my girlfriend was to make her happy, but the other part was cause I really would like for you to be my girlfriend. And I know you live in America, you keep saying, but I think we can make long-distance work. I really want to make it work."

I'm too stunned to talk, so he keeps on going.

"I know it will be hard, but I truly haven't met anyone as amazing as you, someone I can get on with really well. I mean you're incredible, smart, funny, beautiful. I really like you. I really really like you. I think I could even see myself possibly-"

This time I cut him off. "No! Don't say that. Look, I think you're great as well. You're funny, we have a lot in common, and we did click really well. But that's just it. It's too perfect. Something will definitely end up going wrong, especially if we try doing the whole long-distance thing. It took me forever to save up for this trip and going back and forth is just not something I can afford at a time like this. I also really like you as well, but I like you too much to want to settle for only seeing you via Skype and FaceTime. Also with the time difference and our own lives, it will be a struggle being able to keep in touch in order to maintain a good relationship." I voice all of my fears and concerns.

We both stay quiet, letting the truth of what we both said settle between us.

Thankfully we are interrupted by the overhead speakers again.

**We are sorry about the delay again. We have fixed it and the ride will be resumed shortly. Once again, everyone will be receiving a refund. We are truly sorry and hope that you will come back and ride the London Eye again.**

"Well, I guess we're going back down again." I try to smile.

He is still looking down though, a storm brewing behind his ocean eyes.

"Look, I don't want to end this trip on a bad note. I had one of the best times of my life and I want to remember it like that."

He looks up, sending me a small smile, "Of course."

He wraps his arms around me, pulling us together. I wrap my arms around him as well, welcoming the feeling of his warmth and safety. I grasp his jacket tightly, hoping that by doing so we won't have to separate from each other and leave. The engineer, however, opens the door, signaling the end of the ride and our time together.

The engineer tells us where to go to get our refund and we walk silently towards the line. Once we get there, he grabs my hand and brings it to his lips, kissing it gently and then placing it against his chest. I feel the hammering through his rib cage and know that my heart is doing the same thing.

After getting the refund, we walk, still hand-in-hand to the corner of the street to wait for the Uber he called for me.

"Are you sure that you don't want to share an Uber with me?" I ask, hoping to prolong our time together.

"I'm sure, I live just a short walk from here. Besides, you still have to pack and get ready for your flight tomorrow."

I lean into his chest, breathing in his cologne. "I wish I didn't have to leave."

He rests his chin on my head, kissing me softly, "I know."

We stay intertwined with each other until his phone dings, signaling that the Uber will be here soon.

I look up into his eyes, "Well, I guess this is it."

He looks down at me lovingly, "Yeah, I guess so. Thanks for spilling your coffee on me! I'm really glad we met."

It takes all my strength not to burst into tears, "Me too."

I get into the Uber and immediately close my eyes to keep the tears contained but also to remember his eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

I immediately open the car door when the Uber stops

I quickly open the front door of my hotel.

I don't even notice the doorman waving at me.

I have become good friends with him and don't mean to ignore him.

I see that there are too many people waiting outside the elevator.

I think the stairs will be quicker so I fly up to the fourth floor.

I pull the key card out of my purse and shove it into the handle.

I drop my purse at the door running towards my backpack.

I don't even check to make sure the door is properly closed and locked.

I grab my sketchpad, pencils, eraser, and colored pencils.

I sit on the floor, quickly opening to a blank page.

I start to sketch.

First the lashes, the short brown flicks of hair that frame his eyes.

Then the outline, two uneven almonds, one larger than the other.

Next were his eyebrows, large brown caterpillars that gave him his facial expressions.

Finally was the inside of his eyes. Those bright blue irises. That held all of his emotions and feeling. That said I love you when his mouth couldn't. Those beautiful eyes on a beautiful boy in beautiful London.

Not with me.


	8. Chapter 8

"Thank you so much for the opportunity!"

"Of course, love. We will have someone waiting for you at the airport to pick you up when you arrive in two weeks' time. I will email you all of the information about your flat and work situation. Take care."

I hang up the phone, twirling with excitement. I rush to my mom to tell her the amazing news. When I reach the kitchen, she is facing me wringing a towel in her hand. "Did you get it?" she asks expectantly.

I shriek with excitement, unable to form any words, and run to hug her. As we are jumping around, laughing, and smiling uncontrollably, my younger brother comes running into the kitchen.

"What happened guys? Are you okay?"

I don't even answer him, but instead, pick him up and spin him around in excitement.

"Your sister got the internship in London sweetie!" I hear my mom say. She engulfs us in a hug again.

My brother squirms free, "Sis, that's incredible! Can we come and visit you? Are you gonna always drink tea and turn into a fancy-pants?

I laugh at his questions, "Never! I'm going to make everyone eat hamburgers and celebrate the 4th of July!"

"I don't want you to leave." My little brother is sitting on my suitcase, preventing me from loading it into the Uber that is waiting outside to take me to the airport.

"I have to go, I'm gonna be late for my flight."

He doesn't move from his spot, crossing his arms defiantly.

"Well, I still have another suitcase, so I'm gonna go," I smile, trying to make a joke. I grab my other suitcase and carry-on and walk towards my mom to say goodbye. Before I get to her though, my brother grabs my leg stopping me in place.

I see my mother smiling to hide the tears threatening to fall out of her eyes. I want to send her a smile back to reassure her that everything will be okay, but I feel the tears forming in my eyes too and already start to miss her and my brother.

I lean down to grab him and hold him tightly. "How about you guys come with me to the airport? And maybe we can even get a treat from the coffee shop there?" I whisper the last part into his ear, knowing that it will make him smile.

I am correct when I see him look up at me smiling and nodding.

"Do you have your passport? And did you remember to pack your vitamin D tablets? Also, don't forget to exchange your money the minute you land! And tell me you have your-"

I grab my mother by her shoulders in attempts to stop her from going into a frenzy. "Mom! This isn't my first time out of the country, I'll be fine! Why are you so worried?"

She grabs my face, gently in her warm hands, "Sweetie, the last time you left I knew you would return, but this is your dream job. You've worked so hard for this opportunity and I'm just worried that you'll fall in love with London and the job and might never return," she sniffles, holding back the tears.

I grab her hands, "Mom, I will always return. This is my home, you are my home." I reach over and grab my little brother's arm, as both of his hands are holding the chocolate twist that we got earlier. "I love you both very much. Even if I do end up loving London, I love you both so much more than anything it will have to offer me. Trust me, as soon as the internship is done, I will come back."

I look down at my watch and realize that my flight leaves in an hour and I still have to go through security. "I have to go now, but I will call you as soon as I land. I love you both very much!"


	9. Chapter 9

"Bye y'all, see you tomorrow!"

"Yeehaw to you too," my coworker says in response.

After being here for only a week, I have become such great friends with my coworkers and the banter in the office has hardly stopped.

I quickly stop by my boss' office to drop off the sketches before leaving the building and taking the same route I take every day after work towards the same cafe that I visited on my last day in London from my last trip. I remind myself that I am going there not to find him, but rather to get coffee because I enjoy it so much. I repeat the same mantra in my head, telling myself that the chances of me seeing him here are slim to none.

"Bye y'all, oh and don't forget the party starts at 7! Please don't bring those dry things you call cookies, I will be providing y'all with real American food!"

I wave goodbye to my coworkers before wrapping myself in my raincoat, preparing for the unforgiving rain outside. However, I stop at the door, wondering if it is worth it to go to the cafe on such a cold and wet day, besides I have a house-warming party to prepare for in 2 hours. But what if he decides to come today I ask myself. I shake my head, trying to dispel the thoughts. I won't be seeing him again, I remind myself before heading the opposite direction of the cafe towards my apartment, or rather flat as they call it here.

"Y'all can go ahead, I'll catch up later."

My boss was having a baby shower and had invited the whole office, but I had an upcoming deadline that I was falling behind on so I stayed behind at the office to complete my work. After double-checking my work thrice, I finally smile with satisfaction and hurriedly grab my things so that I could leave and catch up with everyone else that was headed to my boss' house. They were supposed to be taking the "tube" to her place, but even after almost three weeks here I was not completely comfortable riding it by myself. Before leaving the building I ask the doorman which way it was to the station and he tells me that it is in the same direction as the cafe. I decide against grabbing my beloved twist, knowing that there would be food at the baby shower, but decide to just pop in to say hello to the barista that I have befriended over my daily trips to the cafe. Before entering the cafe though I notice a familiar mop of brown hair. I pause, unsure if it is really who I wanted it to be. His back is facing towards me, but he laughs at something, and when his body shakes it proves that it really is him. The excitement fills me as I open the door to walk in and greet him, but as I walk in I notice that he is sitting with a girl. A beautiful girl.

"Hey, I was wondering when you would come in. Stayed late at the office today?" the barista calls out to me as soon as I step in, but my eyes are still trained on the happy couple laughing.

He hears the conversation and turns around, finally noticing me. He looks confused at first, but after recognizing who I am his eyes mirror the same excitement I had earlier.

I try to smile at him, but my face does not get the memo as I am standing there still shell-shocked. My feet don't seem to be cooperating either as I am frozen in my spot.

"Hello, love. You alright dear?" I hear the pretty girl say to me.

Of course, she's also nice, I tell myself. He finally puts two and two together when he sees the hurt in my eyes.

"I can explain, wait-" he calls out, but I don't stay to hear the rest. My feet finally choose to move and I run out of there. I don't stop until I get home. I scold myself for being so dumb and thinking that he wouldn't find a girlfriend in the six months that I was gone.

_What did you expect, that he would wait for you?_

As I walk towards my tiny bathroom to shower I remember that I was supposed to be going to my boss' baby shower. I decide against going and remind myself to bring the gift to work tomorrow and come up with an excuse. There is no way that I could deal with any social interactions after having my heart almost ripped out.

I stand in the shower, letting the water run down my body as I continue to tell myself off for being such as hopeless and believing that he would wait for me. After a small cry, I find myself smiling though because after the internship is over now I will be able to go back home with nothing holding me back. I knew that for a fact if he had shown up again and asked me to stay I would have said yes with no hesitation.


	10. Chapter 10

"Y'all, I am telling you, this coffee shop is amazing! Besides their amazing coffee and to-die-for twists, they also probably have tea and biscuits. Which I haven't tried, but I can only assume are great. I'm surprised that y'all haven't been to it yet."

"Well, it is a coffee shop and you know how much we detest coffee," my coworker says, feigning disgust.

In order to celebrate my two-month work-iversary, I had invited a few of my coworkers to my favorite coffee shop.

I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to go back after seeing him there, with another girl nonetheless. But after waiting a whole week and finally needing coffee in my system that didn't come in instant powder form I finally caved and went back. He wasn't there then and still has not been back for the past 4 days so I figured it would be safe to bring my coworkers here.

A part of me wished that he would come back, just so I could hear his reason for finding a girlfriend so quickly. But the more mature part of me was telling myself to just let it go and move on.

The five of us found a nice table in the back and all ordered my beloved vanilla latte and chocolate twist. After much joking about how gross the coffee was, they finally gave in to my wishes and told me that I had great taste in warm beverages. That's 1 point for America, zilch for the UK.

After much talking and laughter, they finally decided to go home. I waved them all goodbye, deciding that I would stay and enjoy one more cup of coffee and talk to Joe as we hadn't caught up with each other in a while.

"So, who was that bloke?" Joe asks.

I raise an eyebrow in confusion at his question. "My coworker? Olly?"

"No," he places his rag down and walks over to my spot on the bar, "That bloke who scared you shitless and caused you to run out of here without even saying hi to me about two weeks ago."

I try to come up with a lie, "Oh, him? Just someone I knew in high school. You know how it goes, high school was some of the worst four years of my life."

He sees right through it though, "Really? So you just happen to go to secondary school with some British bloke in America and he just so happens to be in this very café that you so happen to come to most every day after work? Is he also the same bloke who came by for like three days after this incident and sat here for bloody hours waiting for you to show up? Oh, and is also the same bloke that you ran into your first day here and spilled coffee all over him?"

"No, psh why would you even say that." My voice gets higher with each word, knowing that Joe knows exactly who he is.

"Right, so anyway, he asked for you, and do you wanna know what I told 'em?"

I nod, slightly concerned, but knowing that Joe wouldn't willingly throw me under the bus.

"I told him that I had no idea who you were."

I sigh in relief and reach over to thank him for being such a great friend when he continues, "But let me tell you, he is one smart bloke. He pointed out that I had talked to you like we were old mates when you came in here."

I let out a frustrated groan. "Why? Joe, come on please tell me you didn't say anything!"

"Love, now tell me why on Earth would I do that? He seemed a great lad and so concerned about you. He even explained to me the reason as to why you ran out of here the other day."

He stops, checking with me to make sure that it was okay for him to continue.

I take a sip of my coffee to prepare me for what he had to see, "And, what did he say?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"Joe! You know full well that I will probably never see him again and even if I did, what difference would that make? I can't keep-"

I stop when I notice Joe looking behind me silently. I follow his gaze and am met with ocean blue eyes that I wanted and didn't need to see.


	11. Chapter 11

I'm frozen, unsure if I should run out the door like a coward, run up and greet him with a kiss like I want to, or say hello like a civilized and mature person should.

He, however, acts mature for the both of us, "Hello there, fancy seeing you here. I um- I wanna-"

"Wait, before you say anything let me just," I cut him off. "I'm only here for a few more months for an internship and then I'm heading back home. So please don't try to change my mind because I promised my little brother that I would be back home as soon as this was over and I wanna keep that promise" I let out in one breath.

"That was my sister."

"What?"

"The girl you saw me with last week, that was my sister. The one who lives in Brighton." He runs his fingers through his mop of brown curls and I'm immediately taken back to the first day that I met him and the butterflies come fluttering back to their long empty posts in my core.

I shake my head in disbelief but also feeling ashamed.

"And I understand that you're time here is limited, but why don't we spend it together. I won't try to convince you to stay. Let's go into this understanding that it's short term, nothing has to last. When you finish your internship you can go home and I'll go back to my life here, alone." He also gets out in one breath.

I try to weigh out the pros and cons in my head, the list of cons growing by the second; I would get too attached, he might get too attached, what if I didn't want to leave, what if he didn't want to leave, my earlier claim that I would stay in a heartbeat if he asked me to, my little brother, my heart breaking. There was one pro on the list though that somehow outshone the other things on the list; I might love him. Of course, I wasn't going to say that out loud, but I felt things when I was with him that I never experienced before, in the less than 24 hours that we were together I had never felt more connected to anyone, he made me feel safe, loved, like my opinion on everything mattered, butterflies.

I would definitely regret the following words that came out, but I didn't wanna live my life without him, even if it was for only a brief moment in the grand scheme of things.

"Okay, short-term, no strings attached."

His beaming smile made it worth it though.


	12. Chapter 12

We finally exchanged numbers after I paid for my drink and left a hefty tip for Joe and his wonderful matchmaking skills. We make plans to meet up the following day for coffee after work.

As I'm walking to work the next day, the only thing I can think about is all the things that we are going to be talking about and when we will not be talking and doing other things. I am so impatient and can hardly concentrate that my boss takes notice and sends me home early. I race to the coffee shop to try and find the best seat but as I walk through the door I see my favorite mop of brown curls, this time alone.

"Hey, I thought we were planning on meeting at 5:30?"

"Says the one here at 5:10," he shoots back. I missed our banter.

We both stand there awkwardly, unsure if we should hug, shake hands, kiss? He takes the lead though when he walks towards me and hugs me. I feel the familiar warmth and safety as I rest my head on his strong chest, reveling in his scent and embrace. The hug was cut too short though when Joe walks over and asks for our order. We quickly retract and I feel cold, missing his arms. I try my hardest to kill Joe with my eye daggers but he seems completely oblivious as he asks if I want my usual.

We talk about everything under the sun and above it. I talk about my internship, my family back home, things we didn't touch on last time. He tells me more about his career on YouTube, which apparently is not just a space for funny animal videos. He also talks about his sister, Zoë, and how he told her about me.

"She really wants to meet you, ya know."

I take my time finishing the final bite of my twist. "Well I wish I could meet her, but remember short-term. You don't introduce your family to someone unless it's serious."

"I guess you're right."

I let out a small laugh when I remember that he introduces me to his nan less than a few hours after meeting me.

We continue to converse, switching between topics relating to our lives and in the world around us. It's not until Joe tells us that he is closing the shop that I finally look around and realize that not only is the entire shop empty, but it is also dark outside. I curse when I realize that I will have to walk home in the dark.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. I just hate having to walk home in the dark. There's this little alley I walk through that can be kinda sketchy, even during daylight." I laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

"Let me walk you home? Besides you live on Dover right? I'm just a few streets past there."

"Are you sure?" I want nothing more than to say yes, but I want to try to take it slow.

He instead stands up and sticks his arm out. I put my arm through his, remembering how we did it last time. We wave goodbye to Joe and walk outside.

We talk for a bit while we are walking but soon fall into a comfortable silence, walking in step with each other, together.

We reach my building too soon, but without a word, I keep walking into the building, with my arm still wrapped around his. He follows, not saying anything either, but I hear him let out a small snicker. We reach the door of my flat and I try really hard to not ask him to come in, but my willpower wilts when I see his eyes peering into mine.

"Well, I guess this is where we say goodbye." He removes his arm from mine, but grabs both my hands in his and stands to face me.

"Well I guess so- Um, would you like to come in? I don't know maybe watch a movie, or just talk, get tea or something? I don't know?"

He smiles, leaning closer, "Why don't we just take this slow? I mean we have almost three more months and I don't wanna get too attached."

I mirror his smile, leaning in as well, "I guess you're right." I lean in so my lips are almost touching his, but at the last moment I tilt my head and they land on his cheek. "Goodnight." Without another word, I unlock my door as quickly as I can and go inside. As soon as I close the door though, I quickly turn around and look through my peephole. I see him look at the door, smiling and I almost melt.

"Goodnight pretty girl," he says to the door.


	13. Chapter 13

We maintain this routine for almost a month. Meeting for coffee, talking, him walking me home, a goodnight kiss on the cheek. I like it but of course, I want more, I want to go further, to do more, but I have to stop myself.

 _Don't get too attached_. I continue to tell myself every day; whenever I see him, whenever we touch, whenever I think about him- which is almost every moment. But I feel myself slowly falling for him...slowly but then all at once.

I close _The Fault in our Stars_ and walk over to my little window and peer outside to the dark gloomy mess that is slowly starting to grow on me. I've been reading too many romance novels and I use that as the only real explanation as to why I'm feeling these emotions towards him; not the fact that I can talk to him about anything and not feel judged, that he understands me better than most everyone, that even in the silence I can feel his care and affection, that I wish time would stop whenever I'm with him, that I couldn't imagine my life without him.

My phone rings, interrupting my thoughts. I look at the clock and know that it is the middle of the night back home so it's not my family. One look at the name flashing on the screen though and my heart flutters.

"Hey!" I say a little too enthusiastically.

"Hey, pretty girl! What're you up to?" he matches my enthusiasm.

"Nothing much, just reading. You?"

It wasn't a normal thing for him to call me randomly during the day. A few texts maybe, but we saved most of our conversations for our daily coffee dates.

"Actually I just got off the phone with my manager and there's something that I wanna talk to you about. In-person. Coffee shop in 15 minutes?"

"I can make it in 10," I say, with still too much excitement.

He laughs, "Don't hurt yourself, pretty girl. See you then."

I hang up and run out the door grabbing my keys. When I'm with him I don't worry about dressing up and making sure everything is nice and in its place. He makes me feel like I'm the prettiest girl in the world, even with sweatpants and hair that hasn't been washed in over a week.

As I race, carefully, to the coffee shop, I tell myself that I'm gonna tell him how I feel today. I'm going to tell him exactly how I feel, how I want to take things further, how I want to continue the relationship, even after I leave for America. I know that all those novels romanticize long-distance relationships and they are probably not real, but I'm ready to put in the work and effort to try and maintain ours. Sure, saving up money will be hard, but those flights will definitely be worth it. Also, with the way he described his job, it seems like he doesn't have to be in London all the time in order to make his YouTube videos and work. The list in my mind of the reasons why we should take this further grows longer as I near the shop.

I walk in and don't see him in our usual spot so I do a little happy dance because I beat him. I order my usual from Joe and take a seat waiting for him.

My order hasn't even come yet and he walks through the door, causing the butterflies to stir. After over a month of seeing him almost every day the butterflies are still there, but we've become decent friends. He rushes over to me excitedly and sits down, looking like he might burst.

"So, you wanted to talk to me about something?" I lead.

"Yes," he moves towards the edge of his seat. "So, I talked to my manager, right. And there's this YouTube event happening in America, well California to be exact, VidCon. And it's in two weeks from when you finish your internship, so you would be home by that time as well, also in California, Pasadena to be exact."

I also move towards the edge of my seat, excitement bubbling in me as I can already start to understand where he is leading with this.

"So, it got me thinking. LA is literally one of the greatest places for a YouTuber like me, there would be people to collaborate with, there would be so many more brand deals, you would be there. I mean, sure my family is here, but I could always visit them. I mean, I live in London anyway and most of my family is at least a three-hour train ride from here. Plus, many of my friends are YouTubers as well, which means they could also fly out to LA all the time and it would only benefit their channels."

He sighs, running his fingers through his mop of hair, gauging my reaction before continuing. "Anyways, what I'm trying to say is, what if tried to make this thing work. Long-term. What if I moved to LA? That way I could be closer to you and we can continue this relationship, with all the strings attached."


	14. Chapter 14

It takes everything in me not to leap across the table and attack him in a hug. I pause as if taking the time to think about all the things he just said to me. Even though I know that my answer will be yes, I don't tell him immediately. Luckily my order comes and I don't have to answer, prolonging his suffering.

His face is slowly contorting and I sense that he is feeling more than uncomfortable. As soon as Joe walks away he blurts out, "Oh for fuck's sake! I shouldn't have said anything. Damn it! You're probably sitting there thinking we said short-term and here I am asking to practically marry you-"

"Well, are you?" I cut him off.

"What? No! I'm not! Unless you wanna get married. I mean don't you think it's usually customary to meet the family before anything. I mean sure I get that I'm not actually marrying your family, and you're not marrying mine, but it would at least be the normal sequence of events. But then again, our relationship has been anything but normal, I mean, you spilled your drink on me the first time we met for crying out loud. Although honestly, thank you so much for doing that. I mean can you imagine if we had never met in this coffee shop that day. You would be doing your internship and then just leave and I would be living my boring, miserable life without you, passing by this coffee shop every day, seeing a beautiful girl but not having the guts to say hi or do anything. And I'm probably rambling now aren't I," he takes a breath.

I lean over the table, careful not to spill my drink. I grab him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him up so that we are eye-to-eye. "Shut up and kiss me already."

His lips meet mine and I feel like I am floating 100 feet in the air, surrounded by a cloud of butterflies and warmth.

I'm pulled back down to Earth though when he pulls apart slightly, "So, is that a yes?"

I smile, "To making things work and getting attached or to your marriage proposal?"

"Either," he smiles back.

I step back, looking him up and down. Walking over to where he is now standing upright, I wrap my arms around his neck and breathe in his scent, "Yes."

Our lips meet again and the butterflies in my stomach erupt like an explosion, the electricity ignites a fire that courses through my entire being, lifting me up and out of my body. My feet, however, stay planted on the ground, as I feel safe and secure as he wraps his arms around me, holding onto me, seemingly never letting me go.

His lips mold perfectly in mine and our bodies melt together.

It's like two puzzle pieces finally joining after hours of searching.

It's like the shore fits so perfectly with the sea.

It's like milk blends together smoothly with coffee.

It's like we were meant to be.

It's like fate brought us together.

It's like I was _supposed_ to meet him in a coffee shop.


End file.
